Meebox Review - August 3rd Birthday Pool Party Box!

Hello there lovely readers!

Today I have another Meebox review to share with you. I've blogged about a few of these delightful little box o' nail treats already which you can check out HERE. This time it is the August box (yes its a bit late!) we will be exploring & FYI I also have a bit of an exciting update regarding this fabulous nail service that I have become a huge fan of at the end of this post!

NOTD - Quick & Easy Shattered Glass Nails!

Hey there lovely readers!

In this busy day & age sometimes a quick mani fix is required when it comes to the nails, but that still doesn't mean you have to restrict yourself with nail art! 

I'm ALL for finding quick & easy nail art hacks to achieve pretty nails that look like they took a lot longer than the 5 minutes they actually did for those occasions when I am running short of time. This is where nail art stickers are an absolute GODSEND.

NOTD - Sea Blue & Baroque!

Hey there lovely readers!

Today I have such a stunning polish to share with you that's been getting A LOT of loving, its currently my absolute favourite & I've already worn it countless times these last few months which is practically unheard of for me! And the best part....? Its only £1.50 from Primark! Oh & did I mention that its MATTE?! Yup this glossy gal has turned a corner it seems...Aysh you okay hun?

NOTD - Birds Of A Feather

Hey there lovely readers!

I'm in two minds about this nail art look & was almost not going to post it but meh...I was so in love with that mesmerizing magnetic base (if not so much the design itself) that here it is anyhoo!

NOTD - Aquamarine Semi Precious Stone Nails

Hi there lovely readers!

Often, when I am uncertain of what shade of polish to pick for my next manicure, because you know, there simply AREN'T enough colours in the world, I sometimes grab a couple of polishes & throwing caution to the winds, have a play around to see if I can make my own custom shade to suit my mood!

Sometimes, when the nail gods are on your side & you mix two shades together, a magical thing occurs & you find yourself with a stunning new shade which is why I really love doing this! Don't get me wrong though...there have been times when this method has been majorly UNSUCCESSFUL. 

Disney Nail Art Series - The Little Mermaid!

Hello there lovely readers!

Ooooh I'm excited to share with you the latest addition to my Disney Nail Art Series as, closely following The Beauty and The Beast, this is definitely up there as one of my favourite Disney movies ever...it is of course...The Little Mermaid!

NOTD - Jade Semi Precious Stone Nails

Hi there lovely readers!

I have a particular fondness for semi precious stones, not just for their magical properties of course, I always have a few lying around the place, but you can find some truly stunning rocks with beautifully intricate patterns woven within the stone which means one thing...NAIL INSPIRATION!

You've probably seen & are familiar with the Geode nail art trend that was pretty big last year, I gave it a go myself & absolutely loved it, take a peek at my step by step tutorial HERE. 

I wanted to go further & explore other stones for which I could attempt to recreate on my nails, I have a long list...Rose Quartz, Marble, Amethyst, Opal....but first I wanted to give Jade Stone nails a try & so that is what I have for you beauties today!

NOTD - Egyptian Scarab Beetle Nail Tutorial!

Hello there lovely readers!

I found myself in a bit of a dilemma with todays nail art design. You see, I adore Ancient Egyptian history, if someone would hurry on up with inventing a time machine, Cleopatra would the first on my list of historical women to visit!

A well known symbol in Egyptian culture is the Scarab beetle & after seeing a beautiful jewelled design incorporating stunning turquoise tones in the shell I knew I wanted to recreate something similar in nail art form. Herein lies the dilemma....I hate bugs! But in the name of the nail art sisterhood I decided to set aside my squeamishness & put those Scarabs on mah nails!

I managed to dig out a super pretty turquoise green sparkler in my stash which gave just the finish I wanted for my beetle shells which chuffed me greatly. I've done a step by step tutorial guide so that you can create these too!

I wanted my Scarabs to stand out thus required a nude base creating the perfect opportunity to give Barry M Coconut Infusion in Sunkissed a whirl!

And dolls...Barry M always has the ability to impress me & the Coconut Infusion range is no exception. This swatch is just one coat applied, amazing coverage! The formula was faultless too, top marks Barry M! The Coconut Infusion polishes require no basecoat, however I'm currently using a base treatment on my nails (post to come soon!) so I have not yet tried on bare nails.

After swooning over the lovely Sunkissed, next step is to add the Scarab beetles! You'll need an eye catching blue/green turquoise, here I've used an old brand Fashionista in shade Mystical Dragon, another utterly swoon worthy shade...

Grabbing your polish & nail art brush start with applying a teardrop shape in the centre of the nail. You can actually also use the polish brush & just place a large blob on the nail, then dragging the top upwards slightly to create the teardrop :)

Then using a black polish & another nail art brush or a black nail art pen, outline the outer edge of your teardrop in black

Next add the back legs first by applying two sets of angled lines at the top end of your teardop going upwards making the topmost legs a bit longer.

To create your shell apply a thin black line down the centre, stopping about ¾ of the way before veering two angled lines in opposite directions to the bottom as shown.

Finally to complete your Scarab beetle, add on two more lines for the front legs before finishing with two smaller lines at the end for the...err...what are these called? Pincers? Antennae? Lets go with antennae shall we?

Add a slick of topcoat to seal it all & you have your Egyptian Inspired Scarab beetle nails!

As you can see I've got me a Jamberry nail wrap accent going on too on the middle finger with the stunning metallic "Trippin" nail wrap! You can find this beaut wrap & more designs on my website HERE. 

Hope you liked! Thanks for reading!

Lotsa love to ya!

NOTD - Egyptian Jewel Inspired Nails!

Hello there lovely readers!

I've always been fascinated with Egyptian history. I adore watching films depicting the time of the Pharaohs & I hope to visit Egypt one day, being a huge Poirot fan also, a Nile cruise has been on the bucket list for a long time!

From a beauty addicts perspective, the Egyptian era is truly a feast for the eyes...the stunning hairpieces, the bold makeup, the eye catching jewels! Its the jewels in particular that inspired this particular mani I have for you today, using tones of black, turquoise & gold I came up with these Egyptian inspired jewelled stone nails.

To recreate these could not be easier. Start with applying a black base. Here I've used two coats of A England Lancelot, one of my favourite blacks, it has a divine Gothic red tint to it & a beautiful glossy formula.

Next apply your turquoise centre. To do this I used a fine nail art brush & Models Own Turquoise Gloss. Free hand a teardrop/diamond style shape in the centre of your nail, before filling in. Don't worry if they don't match, I actually think having each nail look slightly different is better!

You know I am a glitter FIEND so sparkle was definitely required. To bring out that turquoise I applied some of this gorgeous Jordana glitter in Celestial on top of the Models Own.

Then using a fine nail art brush & some gold polish or a gold nail art pen which I've done here & naturally forgot to photograph because...well...I'm a plonker, apply a gold border around the turquoise.

Finally grab that glitter again, this time some sparkly gold, I love my trusty Color Club & simply go over your gold border with the glitter using another fine brush.

Finish with a coat of topcoat & jazz up the hands with some hand jewellery if you like & your Egyptian inspired manicure is done!

This mani is actually from my archive from a few months back but I'm in mourning for how long my nails are here! Lately they've been breaking left, right & centre & its slowly driving me mad! *throws self down dramatically & wails in despair*

If anyone has any tips to share to help aid this wee problem I'd love to hear any recommendations! Thanks for reading!

Lotsa love to ya!

A Pop of Pretty Metallic with Absolute Shimmer Eyeliner!

Hey there lovely readers!

My love for eyeliner runs deep, its the one makeup product I simply cannot do without. Applying a cat eye flick is pretty much an essential part of my daily routine & the type of eyeliner used be it gel, liquid, pencil depends on the mood I'm in, but whichever one I do opt for its always in my obligatory black. However every so often I get the urge to divert away from the norm & input a pop of colour & if you tend to shy away from bright eyeshadow looks then the perfect way to do so is with colored liquid eyeliner such as this little pretty offering from Absolute

Founded by the same team that launched Nicka K New York, I was introduced to this brand which is available from online retailer Beauty Crowd, at a PR event not too long ago & was immediately drawn to the vibrant rainbow spectrum of shades on offer in the Absolute Shimmer Eyeliner range.

There are 12 shades to choose from ranging from matte, shimmer to glitter, the shade I have here is a beautiful, bright turquoise green which has the most lovely shimmering metallic foil like finish, seriously swoon worthy & a definite eye catcher!

The applicator that comes with the Absolute Shimmer eyeliner is foam based, if I'm honest personally I would prefer a thin brush applicator as I just find them much easier to handle for ease of application & I did have to go over this a few times to get an opaque finish. However once applied I was impressed with the colour pay off & not just that but loves...once on, this eyeliner WILL NOT BUDGE.

The Absolute Shimmer eyeliner stayed put all day & it took my super strong LUSH Ultrabland Cleanser, which I tend to dig out for removing heavier makeup, to shift it completely followed with a swiping of micellar water but as I double cleanse in the evenings (if I'm not too lazy!) anyway I didn't find this too problematic at all.

Overall I love the finish to this pretty metallic offering from Absolute which retails for a bargainous £3.95 & it successfully satisfies my need for a simple yet striking pop of colour incorporated in to the eye makeup that stays put all day. You can find the Absolute range online.

Thanks as always for reading!

Lotsa love to ya!

NOTD - Colour Block Nails inspired by Bonprix Skater Dress ft Barry M!

Hey there lovely readers!

Counting down the days now till my best friends big day this Saturday & actively hitting YouTube like nobodies business in the hope of finding some eye makeup inspo! My bridesmaid dress is a gorgeous burgundy (she was good to us) so I'm thinking Autumnal cranberry vibes with a hint of gold? With plenty of eyeliner of course...

Speaking of inspo I love finding nail-spiration within the fashion world. With LFW recently passed, whilst fashion bloggers are swooning & all heart eye emoji over the beautiful prints on the runway, I tend to obsess on how ace they'd look on the nails! 

Bonprix is an online fashion site with a wide range of wears to tempt fashion lovers & they've recently teamed up with Barry M to hold a nail art contest in which the challenge is to create a manicure inspired by one of their dresses...well you know I'm ALL OVER THAT. So having a sift through the dresses on offer I decided on the stunning Colour Block Skater Dress above to create a similarly vibrant mani...

I've actually wanted to do a colour block mani for yonks so this came at the perfect time. I just loved the bright & uplifting cobalt blue & turquoise shades used in this dress & to re-create I found the perfect shades to match using Barry M Gelly paints.

To start I applied one of coat of black polish over the whole nail; I use W7 Black, one of the best black polishes ever!

I then used this nifty french manicure white polish by KIKO. It comes with a very fine brush making it a fab little product to create french manicures or nail art! I applied a thin curved lined vertically on each side of the nail.

Next for the hit of blue I used Barry M Blue Grape Gelly polish & applied down the center of the nail using a nail art brush before filling in. 

Then for that turquoise fix I used Barry M Greenberry & applied in the centre of the dark blue using a fine nail art brush finishing in a point around 3/4 of the way up the nail.

Finish it all with a slick of glossy topcoat. I hope you liked my entry for the #PartyPolished competition dolls! Time to cross all those polished fingers & toes! Thanks for reading!

Lotsa love to ya!

NOTD - Turquoise Rhinstone Nails

Hello there lovely readers!

Feeling the turquoise vibes today with this manicure featuring a couple of those beaut Models own Hyper Gels & some pretty rhinestone goodness courtesy of Born PrettyStore... I think this may be up there with some of my favourite manis so far I am so in love with it!

NOTD - Barry M Greenberry Gelly & Sour Apple Confetti!

Hello there lovely readers! Are you all having a lovely weekend? Its been such a beautiful day, the sun came out in all its glory & twas spent indulging in a delightful birthday afternoon treat catching up with a good matey. Afternoon tea never fails to lift ones spirits & I am now in a very ready to nap state, which means that it was very successful *thumbs up*

So a beautiful bright day calls for an equally beautiful & bright polish I say, therefore I'm bringing forth a yummy combination courtesy of Barry M today, the stunning Greenberry & Sour Apple

NOTD - Mermaid Teal Glitter Gradient Nails

Hello there lovely readers!

Bringing a little teal goodness your way today my lovelies with this glitter gradient that has a slight mermaid vibe going on I feel with those ocean-y colours & features two pretty polishes from the brand Angelica which is available in Primark. Whenever I pop in to a big Primarni in London I always attempt to hunt down the polishes as my local one never has any!